Brownsville is a very special place to my family. My earliest Brownsville memories were of coming to help my father, Stan Dean, with his 5th grade classroom. I knew from that moment that I would be an educator. Unfortunately, my time with my father was cut short due to an accident. The Brownsville staff and community rallied around my mother and sister; supporting us in so many ways.

The next fall I began Kindergarten with Mrs. Gillis in the fall of 1976. Each year, I was reminded of the sense of family that is Brownsville. I may have grown up without my father but I had so many adults that guided me to the person that I am today including the great Bud Hawk.

Today, I sit in the office that Bud once possessed and feel the responsibility of continuing that sense of family. Brownsville is so much more than a building in Illahee. Brownsville is about the people that shape it- students, staff, parents and community. I look forward to getting to know you and reacquainting myself with this community.